American League's Yoenis Cespedes, of the Oakland Athletics, hits during the MLB All-Star baseball Home Run Derby, Monday, July 14, 2014, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Photo: Jeff Roberson, Associated Press

American League's Yoenis Cespedes, of the Oakland Athletics, hits...

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American League's Yoenis Cespedes, of the Oakland Athletics, holds the trophy after winning the MLB All-Star baseball Home Run Derby, Monday, July 14, 2014, in Minneapolis. Cespedes defeated National League's Todd Frazier, of the Cincinnati Reds, in the finals. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Photo: Jeff Roberson, Associated Press

American League's Yoenis Cespedes, of the Oakland Athletics, holds...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland A's celebrates with coach Mike Gallego, who threw to him in competition, after winning the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Photo: Rob Carr, Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis...

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American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland A's celebrates with the trophy after winning the Home Run Derby.

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland A's...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Josh Donaldson #20 of the Oakland A's bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Josh Donaldson...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland A's bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland A's bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis...

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American League's Yoenis Cespedes, of the Oakland Athletics, hits during the MLB All-Star baseball Home Run Derby, Monday, July 14, 2014, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

American League's Yoenis Cespedes, of the Oakland Athletics, hits during the MLB All-Star baseball Home Run Derby, Monday, July 14, 2014, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Photo: Jeff Roberson, Associated Press

American League's Yoenis Cespedes, of the Oakland Athletics, hits...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland A's bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Photo: Rob Carr, Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland A's bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Photo: Hannah Foslien, Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland A's bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland A's bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Photo: Elsa, Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Yoenis...

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Yoenis Céspedes had time to size up, and sometimes admire, his drives during the home run contest.

Photo: Jeff Roberson, Associated Press

Yoenis Céspedes had time to size up, and sometimes admire, his...

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 14: American League All-Star Josh Donaldson #20 of the Oakland A's bats during the Gillette Home Run Derby at Target Field on July 14, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS -- - Yoenis Céspedes' top competition as he traveled through the new Home Run Derby format was, as it turned out, his A's teammate.

Céspedes downed Josh Donaldson in a "swing-off" after the first round, beating him 2-1 on Monday at Target Field. No one else came close to Céspedes the rest of the way as he defended his Home Run Derby title with ease, beating Todd Frazier of the Reds in the final with nine homers to Frazier's one.

"He got stronger every round," A's reliever Sean Doolittle said. "You could almost feel his experience from last year coming into play. When he won the swing-off, that was the momentum he needed, and that was pretty much it."

Céspedes is the second back-to-back winner of the event (other: Ken Griffey Jr., 1998-99). "I am very happy and proud to be the only other person," Céspedes said, with ESPN's Pedro Gomez interpreting. "I wish there was another word that would describe it even better than that to win it in consecutive years."

Céspedes, who hit 32 homers, total, in winning the 2013 Derby at Citi Field in New York, hit 30 homers Monday. He said that rain before and during the event affected all the participants, who got ready early only to have to wait through an hour delay.

With Derby favorite Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins shockingly knocked out by shutout in the third round of the National League competition, Céspedes' path to the crown was significantly less dramatic.

Stanton had wowed the crowd with several third-deck homers in the first round for the NL, and he hit one into the seats over the batters' eye, too.

"Stanton was on another level," Doolittle said. "He lived up to expectations. He hit some tape-measure shots."

Then he got a bye into the NL's final round and had to wait to hit for more than an hour, and by then, he'd clearly cooled.

"The change in the format definitely affected some players," Céspedes said. "It was difficult for people like (Jose) Bautista and Stanton because they had to wait so long in between."

Céspedes didn't get to take a long break, though, after barely squeaking through the first round, so he stayed in a rhythm. He blazed through the second round, with nine homers to top Adam Jones. He hit seven in the third round to eliminate Bautista, the AL captain.

Asked about sharing the Derby experience with his teammate earlier in the day, Donaldson said, "Céspedes won the Home Run Derby last year. And I picked his brain about it. And I told him earlier he may be the defending champ, but I am the people's champ and I'm going to take it back."

Donaldson then had the perfect opportunity to surpass Céspedes: a head-to-head matchup in a "swing-off" after they finished tied in the first round, hitting three apiece.

"I knew Josh wasn't going to win because his mentality was to take the ball out of the stadium," Céspedes said. "I told him that is not the way you win this competition."

In the swing-off, however, Céspedes crushed two balls into the second deck in left. Donaldson managed only one into the second deck.

"I knew I had to hit three - and I might have tied him," said Donaldson, who'd love to be in the Derby again. "Once he gets in one of these events, he thrives. He's tough to beat when he gets rolling, but that was neat."